The Netherlands is installing two test noise barriers alongside the A2 highway near Den Bosch.They are going to produce solar energy.The panels will make up the noise barriers.This project was started on June 18, and is completely reliant on the LSC panels developed by a researcher at Tu/e.It should be a completely practical test in the world of solar energy.The panels are called LSCs or Luminescent Solar Concentrators.They are translucent and colored.They receive the sunlight and then direct it to the side of the panels.There, the light lands on a traditional solar cell inside.The creator of the panels, Michael Debijie, says, “Thanks to their many colors, the LSC are visually very attractive, which makes them ideal for use in many different situations in the built environment.”He has carried out many tests on the panels over the years.He continues, “Further benefits are that the principle used is low cost, they can be produced in any desired, regular color, is robust and the LSCs will even work when the sky is cloudy.That means it offers tremendous potential.”On June 18th, a one-year test began.The company in charge is Heijmans, a building company.They want to asses the ability to install these panels in noise barriers.This will not be the first solar noise barrier, but will be the first with this type of panel.This is also the first time the Netherlands has made a test this large and significant in solar power.The complete aim is to provide understanding of how much electricity these semi-transparent panels can generate under different conditions.They need to know if they are vandal resistant, and how much maintenance the panels will require. The tests will also be held outdoors to gain the most possible sunlight, where this would not be as affectively tested in a lab.The two noise barriers are 5 meters wide and 4.5 meters high.Besides the LSC panels, they also hold semi-transparent panels holding classic solar cells.This gives them comparison on which type of panel is better.The first kilometer produced by the LSCs proved to power 50 households.

Today is June 22, 2015, and Japan has officially unveiled its massive, 7-megawatt wind turbine.It is offshore and is now the largest offshore turbine to date.Japan hopes it will be operational by September.The wind project that the turbine joined first started with the installment of a 2 Megawatt turbine in November 2013.It is about 12 miles off the coast of Fukushima.The Fukushima Wind Project is run by Marubeni Company and is also funded by the Japanese government as well as the University of Tokyo.The new turbine stands 220 meters above the water. The project has 50 billion yen ($405 million) towards it.This allows the turbines to be able to float, since the waters are too deep for a traditional turbine.This also allows for another, 5-megawatt turbine to be installed later in the year.The whole output capacity will be brought to 14 megawatts.Wind turbines have been supported greatly by Japan after the Fukushima disaster.They feel it is safer to use to make electricity than to use a nuclear power plant.Come back to my website later in the year for an update of the wind turbine’s installment and usage!

Located around 30 miles outside of Austin, Texas, there is a town called Georgetown, Texas.In the next few years, it is supposed to be powered completely by renewable energy.They have begun to invest in two large renewable energy programs, one solar and one wind.Now, unfortunately they didn’t change over because it’s good for the environment.The Mayor, Dale Ross, says they did it because it made sense.According to Ross, “This was a business decision and it was a no-brainer.This is a long-term source of power that creates cost certainty, brings economic development, uses less water, and helps the environment.”Texas is known for having one of the best aboveground renewable energy profiles in the US.Wind is a very abundant source in west Texas.Texas also has its own energy grid, which allows Texas to be in charge of how it produces its energy, not the United States government.Georgetown will bring in 150 megawatts of wind energy and 150 megawatts of solar energy, taking full advantage of what Texas has to offer.In Texas, where oil derricks are better known, a small Texas town going completely green energy was a shocker.When Burlington, Vermont announced it was changing to completely green energy, not many people were surprised.This was last year.They plan to have changed over by 2050.Georgetown plans to by 2017.The town hopes that its change will inspire other Texas towns to do the same.While most of Texas’ solar power is in the west, it would be completely possible for Austin to go green with solar power, because they get 300 sunny days a year.In other areas that don’t need as much energy, residents could sell their solar power back to the grid.To be fully powered, Georgetown requires around 300 megawatts of energy.For now, their contracts fit this, and should for 10 to 15 years.However, their city is growing quite fast, and this will change.The town hopes to continue to be powered by alternatives after this, as they are seeking out other deals for after.For now, they are selling any excess power to other cities.

Vancouver architect, Michael Green, built the largest timber tower in North America.He is now hoping to build some of these towers made of wood in Paris, comparing his projects to the Eiffel Tower.He is currently working with real estate developers REI France and another architect, Daniel Vaniche et Associés to work with the limits to wood construction that currently exists.Their new plan would make the world’s tallest timber tower.It would be 35 stories high and would help to avoid 3,700 metric tons of Carbon Dioxide.The real saving is, however, in how much concrete can be avoided.A single concrete slab emits 27 kilograms of Carbon Dioxide per square meter.This will make it so the building itself releases less Carbon Dioxide than normal skyscrapers.According to Green, “Our goal is that through innovation, youthful social contact and overall community building, we have created a design that becomes uniquely important to Paris. Just as Gustave Eiffel shattered our conception of what was possible a century and a half ago, this project can push the envelope of wood innovation with France in the forefront. The Pershing Site is the perfect moment for Paris to embrace the next era of architecture. The project’s innovations are multi-dimensional and extend beyond wood building materials and height. A new model of housing explores ways in which the next generation can live in small urban spaces without losing their sense of community. Combining an innovative mix of market and social housing, a student hotel, urban agriculture, a bus station, e-car hub and amenities, the Baobab project would foster the City’s vision for a connected, vibrant metropolis. Spanning the eight-lane Peripherique and reaching new heights in sustainable wood building, the proposal would transform the Pershing Site into a gateway to the city and a model for future projects around the world.” Now, who is ready to move to France?

In Portland, Oregon, a new system is catching energy from water as it flows through the city’s pipes.It’s hydroelectric energy without the environmental impact of a hydroelectric dam.Small turbines spin in the pipes and send the energy to generator.It’s made by Lucid Energy.The CEO, Gregg Semler is very excited about the development.He says, “It’s pretty rare to find a new source of energy where there’s no environmental impact.But this is inside a pipe, so no fish or endangered species are impacted.That’s what’s exciting.Water utilities use massive amounts of energy, so they can use this power to power their system, or they could always just sell it back to the grid.In Portland, it is now being used in one of the city’s major pipelines.Despite the new idea, this method cannot produce enough energy for the whole city.It can, however, power individual buildings.It can produce energy at any time of day, since there is always water flowing through the pipes.The system also only works in places where the water flows downward. The new pipes also have sensors installed in them to monitor water rates; check if pipes have burst, and make sure the water is still safe to drink. Lucid Energy hopes that cities, when their old pipes have worn out, will install these new pipes.They hope that they can also expand to the developing world, as it is a simple way to produce energy for countries that don’t have an energy system yet. They hope that other people will realize how reliable and sustainable this system could be with more development.

Hello people who actually read this page! I know this is my page dedicated to alternative energy news, but I wanted to show you all this. I made a model of a wind turbine completely out of paper. It is modeled after a Vesta wind turbine. I hope you all like it!

Can you see cows grazing on the London skyline?Do you see that floating city out on the Cliffs of Dover?Not yet?You will in the future, 100 years from now, according to a panel of experts from the UK.There will be temporary stacked houses, underwater cities, and 3D printed cities!Why would we want to live like this?It will help to alleviate population problems by making more cities and ways to build up.Buildings could have their own micro-climates and you may even see cities in the skies.This panel of experts that predicted this are from the Royal Academy of Engineering in London and has many experts such as award-winning architect Arthur Mamou and urbanist Linda Aitken.We won’t just be building up.We will head deep underground. There could be advanced multilevel basements, which will help with urban space from above.Space transportation will become commonplace.You can just buy a ticket to Mars in the future that these experts predict.There could be underwater gardens, green space, and eco-friendly things everywhere.A poll launched by the group also has a lot of people hoping cities willbe run on solar and tidal energy to help this all stay eco-friendly.

Scientists have found that the phytochemicals responsible for the taste of tea are sensitive to the climate. They studied this in China’s Yunnan province where they are known for growing pu-erh tea. Pu-erh tea is an oxidized and fermented black tea. This is a very popular type of tea and its taste is being affected by climate change. As the world gets warmer, the taste of the tea gradually changes. With this link, scientists can examine other crops from foods like coffee to cherries. It is already known that these other crops’ taste relies on local climate.

In 2014, wind energy grew more than any other energy source in the US. Wind technology prices have also plummeted a good 58%. The Department of Energy believes that potential for wind energy is much larger, but it also is greatly limited by one key factor.

Wind turbines are too short. I know, you are probably saying, “What? Those things are huge already!” If turbines were taller, they could get to where winds are stronger and more constant. This would help them to tap into more energy.

The US is hoping to make 20% of its power through wind energy by 2030. This would require turbines to be larger. Also, wind energy would have to be in 49 out of 50 states. (At that point, if I was the last state, I’d jump onto the bandwagon.)

Due to friction, wind blows less strong the lower to the ground. Therefore, the key is to make turbines taller. The state-of-the-art for height in recent years has been 80 meters tall. But now many turbines are reaching to 100 meters, and they need to be taller still. At the wind hub height of 110 meters, 4,262,000 kilometers (2,874,463.135 miles) more would become suitable for turbines. At the current height, only 2.8 million are available. This would help to make the Ohio River Valley, Great Lakes Region, and the Northeast much better for turbines.

Building larger turbines will still have many obstacles to face. Turbines will require more materials and stronger structural support. This all will cost more. There are, of course, still the possibilities that this will possibly more threatening to birds and bats, as well as more people will begin to resist wind turbines. The wind industry all hopes these challenges will be overcome.

It’s been pretty normal to see the classic wind turbine spinning in the breeze recently. However, the Spanish company, Vortex Bladeless is planning to change this. Their plan is to make a giant bladeless wind turbine. It looks like a straw shooting up into the air.

The Vortex will take advantage of vorticity, an aerodynamic effect that produces many spinning vortices. This effect is normally an enemy to engineers as these dust devil like vortexes can lead to oscillation in structures and potentially causing their collapse.

The Vortex is made of fiberglass and carbon fiber that can allow it to vibrate as much as possible. It pulls magnets back and forth that create electricity. There are no gears, bolts, or mechanically moving parts. This makes the Vortex cheaper to manufacture.

Although the makers boast that it picks up 40% of the wind’s power during around 26 mile per hour winds, it appears to only pick up around 30%. Despite this, it is totally silent, safe for birds, and will cost around 51% less to make.

They hope their first Vortex will be 9 feet tall and will be able to produce 100 watts. It will be used in many developing countries. Soon after, the Mini Vortex, which is 41 feet tall, will be released.

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